Global Health: Learning to do More with Less

June 9, 2011 Trudi Smith Leave a Comment

In January and February 2011, occupational therapy (OT) students partnered with physiotherapy (PT) students to participate in international global health fieldwork placements in Georgetown, Guyana and Moshi, Tanzania. Interprofessional global health placements encourage students to share both clinical and cultural experiences, students learn from and gain a new level of respect for each other as professionals as they navigate the many new experiences of international work. Meghan Barry (OT), Ashley Gorges (OT), Rebecca Long (PT) and Julie Woodroffe (PT) went to rehabilitation centres in Georgetown, Guyana and Haley Augustine (OT) and Doug Murray (PT) went to Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation Tanzania in Moshi, Tanzania. Students were partnered together to promote peer learning and collaboration, and were supervised by local therapists.

Organized by Heidi Lauckner (International Fieldwork Education Coordinator, OT), Gail Wainwright (Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education, PT) and the Program Manager at the Global Health Office, these interprofessional global health fieldwork placements were described by one student as “an invaluable experience I will carry and apply to my future practice for the rest of my career.” To learn more about the experiences of these students, read the May 2011 issue of the FHP News & Events Update.

Chair in Health Services Research

June 8, 2011 Trudi Smith Leave a Comment

In June, Dr. Ingrid Sketris (College of Pharmacy) will complete a 10 year position as Chair in Health Services Research funded by the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and co-sponsored by the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation (NSHRF). Ingrid’s chair is one of 12 created across Canada, but is the only one in Atlantic Canada and the only one in pharmaceutical policy. Through the Inititative for Medication Management, Policy Analysis, Research and Training (IMPART) which she founded in 1993 and her CHSRF/CIHR Chair, along with ongoing support from NSHRF and the College of Pharmacy, Ingrid established the Drug Use Management Policy and Residency Program that embedded its trainees in decision maker organizations (often government) to work jointly on negotiated projects. Cheryl Doiron, who was Associate Deputy and then Deputy Minister of Health in Nova Scotia – a former member of Ingrid’s advisory board who now serves with Ingrid on the Health Council of Canada said of Ingrid: “I never met an academic/researcher who has been more effective at forming excellent relationships at all levels: colleagues, student, administration, government, etc…She has an uncanny ability to facilitate the translation of research and knowledge into workable public policy.” Ingrid launched her Chair report at Dalhousie on March 31, 2011 following the annual conference on the Canadian Association of Health Services and Policy Research held in Halifax (May 9-12), which she co-chaired. On Thursday, May 12, 2011 – a motion was read in the House by the Honorable Maureen MacDonald, Minister of Health and Wellness, recognizing the contribution of Health Services Research at Dalhousie and thanking Dr. Ingrid Sketris for her committment and leadership in this area for the past 10 years.

Congratulations and thank you Ingrid from all of us on your truly outstanding accomplishments!

FHP Award Winners

May 30, 2011 Trudi Smith Leave a Comment

From top: Anne Marie Whelan, David Jakeman and Lois Jackson being presented with their awards by Dean Will Webster

At the Full Faculty meeting held on May 19, 2011, three of our faculty members were recognized with awards.

Dr. Anne Marie Whelan of the College of Pharmacy was presented with the Teaching Excellence Award. This annual award recognizes the critical role that teaching plays in the Faculty of Health Professions and honours an outstanding teacher who embodies the finest aspects of exemplary teaching.

This year, two awards were established in recognition of outstanding research leading to significant progress in the understanding and/or management of a health related problem. The Research Excellence Award was open to all faculty members and the Junior Research Award was open to faculty members within ten years of their initial appointment. Dr. Lois Jackson, Acting Director of the AHPRC and Professor in the School of Health and Human Performance received the Research Excellence Award and Dr. David Jakeman, College of Pharmacy, was given the Junior Research Award.

Congratulations to all of our award winners!

Taken with Tancook

May 27, 2011 Trudi Smith Leave a Comment

Seretha Wison with her professor Debbie Sheppard-LeMoine, on the ferry back from Tancook.

As part of her program, Nursing student Seretha Wilson visited the Baker family on Big Tancook Island to learn about the factors that influence the heath of it’s residents, including socioeconomic and cultural. In this case, the rural location of their home – an island one hour from the mainland, accessible only by sea – was also a factor. Learn more by reading the full story in Dal News.

The LINC Study

May 6, 2011 Trudi Smith 4 Comments

The LINC Project Team - First Row (L-R) - Beth McDougall, Chanh Stevens, Joan Versnel, Grace Warner, Leslie Penner, Kerstin Roger. Second Row - Michelle Villeneuve, Susan Hutchinson, Jocelyn Brown, Lori Weeks. Third Row (L-R) - Diane MacKenzie, Sharmila Vas, George Kephart, Robin Stadnyk. Missing from photo - Tanya Packer, Marshall Godwin.

Congratulations to Tanya Packer and Joan Versnel, co-principal investigators from the School of Occupational Therapy who were awarded $813,424 over three years from the Public Health Agency of Canada for their research project “The Everyday Experience of Living with and Managing a Neurological Condition (The LINC Study).”

This research project seeks to understand the everyday lives of people with neurological conditions who strive to go to work, go to school, raise families and participate in their communities. The support and resources that make everyday life possible and meaningful for people with a neurological condition will be explored. It is anticpated that the findings of this research project will inform service and policy development for people with neurological conditions across Canada.

Co-investigators and research associcates for this project (all from Dalhousie, unless otherwise indicated) include:

Susan Hutchinson (School of Health and Human Performance)
Robin Stadnyk (Occupational Therapy)
Grace Warner (Occupational Therapy)
Diane MacKenzie (Occupational Therapy)
Jocelyn Brown (Occupational Therapy)
George Kephart (Community Health and Epidemiology)
Lori Weeks (UPEI)
Marshall Godwin (Memorial)
Michelle Villeneuve (Queen’s University)
Kerstin Roger (University of Manitoba)

SHA Year-End Banquet

April 28, 2011 Trudi Smith Leave a Comment

SHA Graduates and students - Back Row (L-R) - Kim Munroe, Victoria Case, Lynn Lowe, Kim Vaulkhard, Miguel Cortel, Ben Ridout, Susan Sobey, Dorothy Wang, Omar Bawhab. Front Row (L-R) - Christine Le, Nicole Colyer, Shawn Chhabra, Laura Oxenham.

Faculty, staff, students and friends attended the School of Health Administration’s 29th year end banquet and Awards Ceremony on Friday, April 8th. This year’s theme was the “Health Administration Academy Awards” with Master of Ceremonies duties performed by former MHA graduates Reece Bearnes (CDHA Health Administration Fellow) and Barbara Hall (VP Centred Care, Capital Health). The keynote speaker was Dr. Doug MacMillan, Professor of Paediatrics at Dalhousie University.

Award recipients included:

Benjamin Ridout – Robert Wood Johnson Award, CCHL Bluenose Chapter Award and Health Association Nova Scotia Award;
Miguel Cortel – Alan D. Thomson Award and Ruderman Award;
Shawn Chhabra – Alumni Award, AHAS Award and Nestman Prize for Accounting;
Laura Oxenham – KP Richard Award and Dr. Thomas Rathwell Award;
Alyson Lamb – Glen Moore Memorial Award (given to a first year student in the MHA Program).

Congratulations to all award winners and graduates!

Coping with COPD

April 26, 2011 Trudi Smith Leave a Comment

Dr. Paul Hernandez (CDHA) and Dr. Gail Dechman (Physiotherapy)

Dr. Gail Dechman of the School of Physiotherapy, along with researchers from Capital Health, are working to help those with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) to lead more active, independent and fulfilling lives by encouraging them to exercise.

COPD causes fatigue and shortness of breath, but it has been proven that staying active improves energy levels and breathing. Dr. Dechman and her colleagues are learning more about how exercise helps COPD patients, and what the barriers to activity are, in their community based clinic at West End Mall. “We’re measuring our participants’ heart rate, oxygen saturation and speed as they complete ten activities that mimic household tasks, such as loading laundry into the dryer and putting groceries on shelves” Dr. Dechman says, “This will reveal what tasks are most difficult and why, so we can intervene in the most helpful ways.”

Meeting at the Crossroads

April 25, 2011 Trudi Smith Leave a Comment

Clockwise, from top: Gillian Pritchard, Rachel Mullenger, Emily Murray, Erica Brooks

The School of Health and Human Performance recently hosted “Meeting at the Crossroads: Interdisciplinary Student Health Research Conference.” This conference provides an opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students to present and work toward a publication. The Atlantic Health Promotion Research Centre sponsored prizes for the best paper in undergraduate and graduate categories. The winners were as follows:

Best Graduate Oral Presentation – Erica Brooks (Health Promotion Candidate, Dalhousie). Supervisor – Dr. Anita Unruh. “Exploring the Lived Experience of Adults Using Prescription Opiods to Manage Chronic Non-Cancer Pain.”

Best Undergraduate Oral Presentation – Gillian Pritchard (Health Promotion Candidate, Dalhousie). Supervisor – Dr. Debbie Martin. “Aboriginal Perspectives on Water: How Does Water Contribute to Overall Health and Well-Being?”

Graduate Poster Presentation – Emily Murray (MA Health Promotion Graduate, Dalhousie) “The Experience of Canadian Childhood Cancer Survivors Transferring to the Adult Health Care System.”

Undergraduate Poster Presentation – Rachel Mullenger (BSc Kinesiology – St. FX) “The Roles of Peer Mentors in Enhancing School-Based Physical Activity: Phase 1.”

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